Prelude, In The City That Never Sleeps
by Eve2
Summary: Two years before It's Only The Beginning, we get a peek into Jade's life. A tragic event that takes place sets her life in a new direction that eventually leads to IOTB. But, can haunting events from the past come back? *Please* R&R. :)


Prelude, In The City That Never Sleeps  
  
by Eve  
  
Introduction: This is a short story; very short. And it takes place roughly two years   
before It's Only The Beginning. Mainly this story is to show that Jade's backround isn't as   
boring as one might think. It is an attept to make my Resident Evil fanfic characters more   
rounded and real. Jade has always been my favorite of the four (Jade, Jack, Evelyn and Ryan) and   
I'm sure those of you have read my stories can see that. She's recieved the most attention of   
the four. That's not to say that the rest of the four aren't interesting. Evelyn's backround   
with Umbrella regarding her parents makes it a personal mission for her. Ryan is out to get   
Wesker for the murder of his cousin. Jack feels a sense of responsibility to follow it through   
to help the world be rid of this evil. I tend to spend more time on Jade, and I really can't   
help it. The other three will be given *much* more attention in Destiny And Fate, which will s  
oon be revived after I play through CVX. You'll probably be able to tell that this'll play a   
part in my stories later on. So, here's Jade's short backround story. Enjoy. ~ Vanessa   
"Eve/Jade/Vira/Fury" Cohen, 8/17/2001   
  
Last Night:  
  
Jarret Brant scanned over the contents of the floppy disk in his computer with   
increasing interest. Only a few hours before a crazy, rambling man had bumped into him on the   
street. He smelled of formalgahide and chemicals, his business-like hair cut messed up with   
strands of golden hair flying in every direction, dripping with sweat. The white business shirt   
with deep red tie he was wearing was wrinkled, as if he hadn't ironed it or had worn it for days   
on end. His tie, the deepest red even imaginable, swung loosely in conjunction with the man's   
erratic movements, mimicing his gestures and loosened at the neck. Glasses, round and wide,   
enlargened his already wide and frightened eyes, hightening his panic. The man literally looked   
like he could die of fright on the spot. Hey, this was New York City. Something like that wasn't   
out of the question.  
  
The man babbled a mile a minute, each word streaming into the next and mixing with half   
screams of terror. Words that bubbled coherently enough for Jarret to understand were,   
"Armegeddon...Ragnarok...the end...Apocolypse...monsters..." The rest blurred and slurred too   
much for him to comprehend. It seemed like the man paid no heed to the fact his pleads were   
unheard, or in this case, not understood, by anyone. Especially the police officer he was   
yelling to at the moment. It was appearant that the man wanted Jarret to know something, but the   
trauma that he was experiencing kept him from it.  
  
With a trembling hand, the man shoved a floppy disk into Jarret's hand and scampered   
away, constantly looking over his back. Confused, and a bit scared, Jarret stared down at the   
floppy disk and considered whether to look at it or not. His instincts told him that the crazy   
man was someone important; his clothing, though wrinkled, proved that. As well as his haircut   
and glasses. Yes, it was a stereotypical description of a business man or a scientist, but it   
was the best Jarret could conclude at the moment. There wasn't that much to go on, after all.   
A scientist would make more sense. Some of them use computers. Hell, most of them use computers   
in one way or another. And whatever the man wanted him to see, it was obviously important to him   
and he felt threatened by someone coming after him. His over the shoulder glances, profuse   
sweating and nervous glances were evidence enough of that. Following his gut instinct, he took   
the floppy disk home and popped it into his computer.  
  
Madness. The contents of the disk were pure madness. Jarret wasn't a scientist. Far from   
it. But, he had taken enough chemistry classes to know the basics of what was going on. And if   
it was what he thought it was, everyone was in serious trouble.  
  
"Heeey, big brother, whaddya doin'? Can I see?"  
  
It was Jade. She just haaad to show up then. No way. Jade was an innocent. Jarret always   
had a instinct to protect her. They'd always been close. So close they both went into the same   
line of work. So close they were partners on their beat. Jarret and Jade Brant almost always got   
along, and always made up when they didn't. Nothing stayed bad between them for too long. Jade   
looked up to Jarret. She always had. He seemed to have the right answers to everything, the   
right comeback to every insult, the right thing to say at just the right moment. He was   
sarcastic, and funny; something the two of them had gotten from their parents. But, Jarret   
always made an insult come out as funny. No one felt bad around Jarret. And so Jade tried to   
emulate that. With his guidence, she had gotten pretty good. Even made Jarret laugh a lot. She   
could stand on her own two feet, but always wanted company with her. At this point in their   
career, she was still pretty naive. Hell, Jarret was still naive himself. The grisliest murders   
hadn't been seen to them yet and there had been no homicide cases for them yet. All in all, they   
were still green. But Jarret's protective instincts were kicking in full time. He couldn't let   
her see this. Not now. Hopefully not ever. There were just some things he couldn't share with   
his sister. This was one of them.  
  
Jarret quickly spread his hands across the computer screen, blocking the view. "Nothing.   
It's nothing. Go away, Jade."  
  
"Heh. Yeah, right." Jade smirked as she tried to see around Jarret's hands, but to no   
avail. "It's that stuff you got from the crazy man, isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"Why can't I see?"  
  
Jarret frowned, hastily pushing the off button. The computer made several loud humming   
noises, shut off, and spat the floppy disk out. Jarret picked it out of the computer and set the   
disk on his desk. "Because, it's nothing important."  
  
"Ha!" Jade placed her hands on her hips defiantly. "It's so not important you shut off   
the computer as soon as I want to see." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm telling   
you, don't listen to some crazy man on the street and don't look at stuff he gives you. Could   
have a nasty computer virus."  
  
Jarret shook his head as he stood up and ushered Jade into his living room. He gave her   
a look of disbelief. "Oh, please. A computer virus?"  
  
She shrugged in reply, adding, "Hey, it could happen." Jade then hopped onto Jarret's   
cream and yellow colored sofa, which had a small coffee table made of dark wood in front of it.   
There were matching tables on either side of it, with yellow lamps to add to it. His living room   
was adjacent to the kitchen, the off white countertop being only a few feet away. This was New   
York City, and he wasn't being paid that much for being a cop right now. The place was small,   
but homey, and it was all he could afford. Jade never complained. She only spent a little bit of   
time in her brother's apartment, keeping mostly to her own not that far away.  
  
A car on the street below blared its horn as it passed by, accompanied by a screech of   
tires. The next second, the noise, other than the normal amount, had died down. Aaaah, the city   
that never sleeps.  
  
Jarret momentarily lost his train of thought in the noise of the street below. People   
talking loudly, cars speeding by. There was always something going on on the street. Always.   
There was always someone walking, talking loudly, or a car passing by, blaring its horn. At bad   
times it was a police car, sirens calling out loudly, or a fire truck, or an ambulence. Jarret   
didn't mind. It was an easy way to lose yourself. Everything about your life seemed small when   
compared to the noise of the city constantly going on.   
  
"But, if you don't wanna tell me...fiiiiiine. I don't need to know. Forget it. Who   
cares? You can just keep your crazy floppy disk," Jade announced. She waved her hand back and   
forth to emphasize her point. Jarret couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"Okay, okay. But, isn't it time for you to get going?"  
  
Jade sat thoughtful for a moment, then suddenly leapt from her spot on the sofa and made   
her way to the front door. "You're right. It is. However, I'll be back tomorrow morning. Same   
Bat time, same Bat channel."  
  
"Jade, wait," Jarret interupted. Something in him tugged and pulled. A pang in his heart,   
a sense of things to come. All of a sudden he felt as if this could be the last time he saw his   
sister. It was an outrageous thought, to say the least, but there was something about the   
feeling that he couldn't shake. So he did the only thing he could think of to make it stop. Much   
to Jade's surprise, Jarret grabbed her and hugged her for a moment. "I love you, sis. Take care   
of yourself."  
  
Jade's expression became confused, puzzled. Her brother's sudden show of affection was   
odd. Jarret wasn't normally as sentimental. Sure, they had said the three words a few times.   
Mostly in extreme circumstances. Like when Mom had died the year before. They had needed each   
other then, not only to help themselves, but also Dad. He hadn't done much sentimental stuff s  
ince then. None of them had. They had just went on and grieved in the only way they could;   
trying to cover it up with jokes and sarcasm. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. But it   
helped them feel better, and they figured that was what was important. The way Jarret was acting   
now was like he was going to die or leave her forever. It scared and confused Jade all at the   
same time. She hugged him back, reacting on her own instincts and replied, "I love you too,   
Jarret. You take care of yourself too."  
  
"I will."  
  
Jarret slowly broke the hug between them and they stayed in silence for a moment.   
Comfortable and uncomfortable all at the same time. Jarret's attitude had disturbed Jade, but   
she wasn't sure if she should make something of it or not. Jarret wasn't sure whether he should   
come clean with everything he found or just stand there and let her leave. As quickly as the   
silence came, it left and Jade smiled jokingly. "Well then, I guess I'll say good night to you,   
bro. You are one weird person."  
  
He smiled back at her. "Hey, you're my sister. You're weird too. And we-"  
  
"Both get our sarcasm from Dad," Jade finished with him. The two laughed for a moment. A   
moment that felt so pure. So right. That there was just them, enjoying the simplest thing of a   
family joke. Presently, Jade calmed down her laughter, and began opening the front door. "Okay,   
Jarret. See you tomorrow."  
  
Jarret nodded, taking control of the door for her. He opened it further and she stepped   
out into the hall. "Righto. See you in the morning, sis."  
  
Nodding back, Jade quickly smiled once more then headed down the hall to the elevator.   
Jarret walked her go, somehow unable to turn away. Every sense, every fiber in his body screamed   
at him that this was the last time he'd see her. And that he should remember this moment,   
however quickly it would pass and however short his life would be. Once she disappeared behind   
the elevator doors, Jarret turned back to his apartment, closing the front door behind him   
quietly.  
  
Morning's Light:  
  
Morning sunshine streamed into the hallway through dirty windows as Jade walked to   
Jarret's apartment. She hummed lightly to herself, wondering if they'd ever clean the window in   
the building. Probably not, but it wasn't a thought to really concern herself with. She adjusted   
a button on the bright blue shirt that was part of her uniform, and then checked to see if her   
hat looked okay. Jade was already decked out in full police uniform, night stick, gun, badge and   
all, but odds were Jarret wasn't. Their shift as officers at Precinct 18 started in a half hour,   
so he needed to get his ass moving this morning. Jade knew Jarret had a hard time getting up;   
she usually had the same problem. But every morning she managed to drag him out of bed and get   
him to work. Sometimes she wondered how she did it. Jarret was almost half a foot taller than   
she was, and pretty muscular. As it was, Jade stood at about 5'6'', maybe a little shorter and   
she wasn't very heavy. She had muscle, but not nearly as much as it would take to get someone   
like Jarret out of bed. But, she managed to do it anyway and the two were never late for work.  
  
Except this morning. Jade had now been pounding on his door for the past five minutes.   
He'd never had this much trouble getting up. Sure, Jade had a key to his apartment, but she   
never used it unless she had to. With each passing second that Jarret didn't answer the door,   
the more Jade found validation to use the said key. Finally her impatience got the best of her   
and she opened the door with her key.  
  
"Jarret! What the hell is going on?! We're gonna be late for work! Get your ass out here   
now!" she yelled from the living room.  
  
No answer.  
  
"C'mon, lazy ass! Even I know you don't sleep this soundly!"  
  
Silence.  
  
Worry began to set in on Jade's stomach. It pressed with even pressure, first lightly,   
and now increasingly harder. The moments of silence ticked on and on, and still there was no   
answer from Jarret. Had he left early? Went to the corner deli for a bagel? He had been known to   
do that....but he would left a note. There was no note. No sign of anything. No, wait, there   
was. A slight dripping sound. It sounded like water hitting his wood floor. Not exactly, though.   
The liquid dripping sounded heavier, thicker. However, Jade really wasn't sure what that could   
be. Maybe Jarret had been drinking orange juice out of the carton (a bad habit he'd picked up),   
fell asleep, and the whole thing spilled onto the floor. Yes, it was a far shot, but it was the   
best that Jade could come up with. The best...that had the end result being happy. Worry pressed   
on her stomach more.  
  
"Jarret? C'mon, man, answer me. You're starting to scare me here."  
  
Still nothing. Except the dripping sound. A constant and steady dripping sound. Drip...  
drip...drip...drip...drip...drip...drip. She couldn't take it anymore. Jade's boldness got the   
better of her. Her hand reached for the doorknob of the door to Jarret's bedroom and slowly   
turned.  
  
Deep red. It was the first thing that Jade saw. The deep red liquid was stretched across   
the slick light wood floor of the bedroom. A puddle of deep red liquid. Blood.  
  
Oh my God, it's blood. It's real blood. Oh my God, Jarret!  
  
Jarret was seated at his computer, the desktop of a picture of him, Jade, and their   
parents taken when the two had graduated from police academy. His back was facing Jade, and the   
crimson pool of blood was all around him. It finally dawned on her. Blood was dripping from one   
of Jarret's hand as it hung lifelessly at his side. It slowly and softly dripped down in its   
steady rythmn. Jarret was dead. And the disk he had been looking at was gone.  
  
"Oh my God, Jarret!" Jade exclaimed as she ran over the pool of blood to her brother.   
The moment of realization had made her completely forget the slippery liquid was there. Jade   
momentarily lost her footing, one hand landing squarely in the blood to keep her upright. She   
didn't notice. The blood wasn't even there to her. But her brother was. And his head slumped a  
gainst his chest only made the feeling in her stomach tighten and then creep up to her lungs.   
She looked at him, her eyes wide with shock and grief. Maybe he was still alive. Yeah, he could   
still be alive. Looks like a gunshot wound. He could still be alive. Feverishly, Jade checked   
his pulse.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Not even a faint thump. In fact, his wrist felt ice cold. As if he had been like this   
for a few hours already. "God, Jarret, no..." She shook him in a futile effort to bring life   
back to his body. It didn't work. His head only rolled loosely from side to side until it swung   
up into view. His brown eyes were open, but not scared. It was as if he had been just sitting at   
the computer and...  
  
Jade had to choke back the feeling that she was going to vomit her breakfast. She'd   
never been this close to a...murder scene. It was revolting. It was sickening. And...it was her   
brother who was the victim. He was gone. Dead. A corpse sitting, covered in blood in front of   
her. And now she had his blood on her too. It was too much. Sickened, Jade ran to the bathroom,   
vomitting the cereal she had for breakfast into the toilet. She felt terrible all over. Sad,   
shocked, disgusted, shakened, sick. A cold sweat clung to her, accompanied by uncontrollable   
shaking. Disjointed thoughts swept across Jade's mind, one thing passing through before another   
took its place. With the only thought sticking in her mind, Jade ran for the telephone next to   
Jarret's bed and dialed the number of the precinct.   
  
"NYPD, Precinct 18, how may I help you?"  
  
"Simmons, it's Officer Brant. I need assistance. At my brother's apartment. He's been   
shot...he's...dead...345 156th street, apartment 13."  
  
There was a shocked moment of silence before Simmons continued. "All right, Brant.   
Paramedics will be there shortly."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Slowly, Jade placed the phone back on the reciever and saw that her hand was still   
covered in blood. Jarret's blood. Hot tears formed in Jade's eyes as the thought of what this   
meant crept into her mind. Jarret was gone. And she was alone. All alone. The only company she   
had was the dripping of blood onto the floor. Drop by drop by drop. And drop by drop Jade felt   
farther and farther from the apartment, farther and farther from the building, from the city,   
until she felt completely unaware of where she was. She felt nothing. Heard nothing. The   
dripping stopped.   
  
  
Death And Separation:  
  
They buried Jarret a week later. Their father, Bill, insisted on taking care of   
everything. Jade had been able to get Jack to come out from his business in Oregon to go to the   
funeral. Through that week, Jade had done nothing but search for clues. Despite her fellow   
officers who had protested Jade's involvement in the case, she had been set on being on it.   
Maybe it was her way of coping. She had barely said two words when Jack had come into La Guardia,   
and hadn't said anything when she dropped him off at his hotel.   
  
Jack hadn't really minded, from what he had heard, Jarret's death had been particularly   
brutal. Gunshot wound to the back of the head, and then another in the back. It was as if the   
murderer wanted to make sure he was dead. And he understood why Jade hadn't said a thing. After  
all, she had found him. And poor Jarret... Jack didn't want to talk much either. He wanted it to   
sink in. Jarret had been his friend, just as he had been Jade's. All three of them...like the   
musketeers.  
  
They had met in high school when Jack's family had moved to the city. His parents had   
felt that he would be around more culture there than upstate. Jack was more upset that he no   
longer had friends. That changed as soon as he met Jade and Jarret. The two had been so friendly   
to him, and quickly the three became great friends. They stuck together through all of high   
school, and even kept in contact when Jarret had went to the police academy before Jade. After   
high school, Jack had decided to move west, much to the surprise of Jade and Jarret. But, they   
had vowed to stay in touch, wherever they went. So Jack went his own way, eventually opening a   
small private investigation company outside of Raccoon City. Jade had went to join Jarret in the   
police academy and both graduated, ending up in the same precinct and as partners. Through it   
all, the three kept in touch with each other, exchanging letters and occasional calls. Jarret's   
death had been such a shock, Jack had barely found the words to express his grief.  
  
While Jade spent her time scouring Jarret's apartment for that one clue to nail the   
bastard who had killed Jarret, Jack spent his time in his hotel room, going through the mountains   
of pictures of the three of them he had brought with him. A silent memorial to him all his own.   
Everything felt silent now. Even the noisest things fell silent to him. Honking of horns, sirens,   
television, it all was silent. Then sometimes, the most quiet of noises sounded the loudest, like   
the ticking of the bedside clock in his hotel room. Second by second it counted off the hours,   
passing time obliviously to the problems of the world. The noise itself rang in Jack's ears.   
Pounding, pulsing, heavy and with a life of its own. At times the pounding of seconds dragged on   
for an infinity, marking the moment and stretching it until it became unbearable. Then it would   
change, the tempo becoming quick and hasty. Seconds would fly by in an instant, minutes passing   
in the blink of an eye. It made Jack disoriented, removed from life itself. And as the days to   
Jarret's funeral came to a close, Jack stayed in his room; mourning the loss of one of his best   
friends.  
  
  
"Goddammit! Jarret, give me something! Anything!" Jade collapsed onto Jarret's bed,   
exhausted after two non-stop days of searching for clues. She had barely slept, barely ate, and   
hadn't left the apartment for the two days. Jade was committed to finding Jarret's killer...at   
whatever the cost. But there had been nothing. Not a file, not a hair, not a footprint, not a   
toothpick of evidence to point in the direction of anyone. And the more Jade searched, the more   
obsessed she became. Thoughts about Jarret's last moments haunted Jade every moment, spurring her   
further in her persuit. Had he known he was going to die? He probably had. He had. Yes. It was   
the only way to explain his odd show of affection before Jade left. Arg, the stupidity she had   
had! If only she had seen the warning signs, maybe she could have done something. Maybe she   
could've saved him...  
  
The disk. That goddamn mysterious disk that Jarret had gotten from the crazy man in the   
street. That disk that something on it Jarret hadn't wanted Jade to see. And it was gone when   
Jade had found Jarret that morning. It was the key, the connection. The only thing that could   
point to the killer....but it was gone....and there was no trace of it too be seen. Jade knew   
that was for sure. She had been searching his apartment for the past two days. If it had been   
there, she would've found it. Now it was the day before the funeral, and Jade's fellow officers   
were already beginning to give up hope. She knew that they would just put it as an "unsolved"   
crime and leave it at that. Perhaps they were shoving this under the rug a little too quickly.   
Perhaps they were giving up easily. None of this sat right with Jade. From the murder itself, to   
the lazy action of her fellow officers. She was beginning to feel as if no one wanted to nail   
the sonofabitch who had killed Jarret. Like no one cared. That Jarret wasn't important; that he   
had never existed at all. Jade sighed. No more. The pain was too much. Much too much. After two   
days of constant search and constant nothing Jade had to surrender. She had nothing to go on,   
nothing to help her. Extreme guilt crushed Jade's heart as she rose from Jarret's bed. As if the   
more she rose to her feet, the more the guilt surrounded her heart, crushing it into a powdered   
husk of what it once was. Jade took one last look at Jarret's apartment. His movie posters, his   
computer sitting on top of his light wood desk, the chair that sat in front of it. His bed,   
unmade and dishelved, the cream colored sheet twisted and wrapped around itself and the bed, the   
pillows laid haphazardly at the head of the bed. The walls, a light yellow that reminded Jade of   
the warm summer light of the sun; warm, friendly, inviting. Like Jarret. He had been friendly   
and nice to everyone. There was not one person who didn't like Jarret. He was...  
  
Jade turned and left the bedroom, not looking back. No doubt that-  
  
  
Detachment:   
  
-her father would blame her for this. The way he had been acting all week was a tell   
tale sign. Jarret had always been his favorite. The sibling that was doing him proud. Jade was   
the follower, just imitating her big great brother. It wasn't that Jade didn't love her father,   
and it wasn't that her father didn't love her. But the two just didn't normally see eye to eye,   
and the pressure to at least find who did this to Jarret was enough to send Jade into her two   
day frenzy. As if her own guilt of the situation wasn't enough, the guilt she'd feel from her   
father would be enough to send her over the edge. She knew he was more than devasted by this and   
that he knew she was the last person to see Jarret alive. That's as bad as being the murderer   
himself. Damn. Jade couldn't decide whether her father would just yell at her for a while, or   
quietly sit and stare at her as she tried to explain that there was nothing she could do to find   
the killer.  
  
"Hi..."  
  
Bill Brant sat in his favorite armchair, half listening to what his daughter was telling   
him. As far as he was concerned, if she wasn't telling him she caught that damn bastard who   
killed his son then he didn't care. No excuses. His son was dead and he wanted payback. He   
wanted retribution. He wanted someone to feel the pain he felt. But all Jade did was stare at   
her father with tired eyes. She looked like hell, like she hadn't slept in a week. It was   
partially true.  
  
"Did you find him?"  
  
"No, Dad."  
  
"You were supposed to find him."  
  
"I know."  
  
"That fuckin' sonofabitch killed Jarret. And you saw him last. How can you tell me you   
haven't found him?"  
  
This wasn't going well.  
  
Isn't going well isn't even close. This is crashing and burning like a plane with a   
soccer team in it. He's swearing. He barely ever does that. I'm gonna get it, I'm gonna get it,   
I'm gonna get it...  
  
Jade stared back at her father, searching his green eyes for something, anything, that'd   
give her aid in finding out his next move. But, his eyes betrayed nothing to her, relaying no   
predispoition to his next move. She sighed. "There's nothing to help me find the guy. You hear   
me? Nothing! The only clue that would've been even remotely helpful is gone! I don't know what   
to do. There's isn't anything to help me. I...I can't do it. I can't figure it out."  
  
Bill's green eyes grew brighter, and Jade knew that he was going to start his rant. It   
was expected. Jade was telling him she had failed and this was something that meant more to him   
than anything. "Can't do it? Do you think Jarret would say something like that if you were dead?"  
  
"I don't-"  
  
"No, you don't. Because you can't figure it out. He would've. There would've been   
something he could find to help. You let him down, Jade. You let me down. That asshole is   
running around the city, paying no price for what he did to Jarret and you give me excuses that   
you can't do it. Suck it up-"  
  
"But, I-"  
  
"No. No excuses. It's as bad as if you had done it yourself. You coulda done something,   
Jade! You were the last one to see Jarret alive! There must've been something you could've done   
to keep him alive. Some sign that told you there was danger. But, you didn't see it. You weren't   
meant to be a detective, Jade. It isn't in you. You don't have the instinct. Jarret did."  
  
Bill watched Jade as she stood up violently from the chair she had been sitting in. It   
fell over, softly clunking against the carpeted rug in the Bill's living room. "The hell I don't   
have detective instincts!" Jade's eyes widened in anger, her voice almost becoming shrill and   
loud. "I have better instincts than you'll even know! Blaming me for Jarret's death isn't gonna   
do anyone a thing and it isn't gonna make the asshole who did it come out! I didn't do it! And   
there's no reason to blame me! It won't bring him back and you know it. Nothin' will bring him   
back..."  
  
Jade calmed down, staring at her father again. There was a moment of silence between the   
two and Jade stayed perfectly still in her standing position. She tried to read her father's   
eyes again and this time came up with something she had never seen in him before. It was if he   
was looking right through her, not even seeing who she was or if she was there. Distance. He was   
putting distance between the two. A distance that Jade was now starting to feel like she could   
never get back.  
  
When Bill spoke, he spoke in low, even tones, so cold it could freeze over hell. "Get   
out. Now. I never want to see you again, Jade. Not after the funeral. Never talk to me again.   
Ever. Go."  
  
Jade opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. This wasn't happening. It just   
couldn't be happening. Her father was telling her that he never wanted to see her again. What?   
That all of a sudden he not only doesn't have a son, he also doesn't have a daughter? Fine. Push   
your all your living relatives away from you in a time where you should be supporting each other.   
See where that'll get you. Angry and hurt, Jade turned on her heels and walked out, not bothering   
to pick up the fallen chair.  
  
  
Final Resting Place:  
  
It rained the day of Jarret's funeral. Cloudy, dark and depressing to match the mood of   
everyone attending. Jade and Jack stood side by side, Bill standing on the other side, along   
with Jarret's fellow officers. Rain drops steadily fell to the ground, making the ground   
slippery and hard to walk in. This slowed down the funeral even longer, agonizing pain of   
watching the casket try to make it into its final resting place. Jade watched the casket as it   
was lowered, not even noticing the rain drenching her. She hadn't thought of bringing an   
umbrella with her to the funeral, and neither had Jack. He didn't care about the rain either. As   
she looked over to her friend, she could see a stray tear peeking under his glasses as if to   
say, "Yes, he really mattered to me too." It made Jade try all the harder to keep herself   
collected.   
  
Jack's blue eyes were dimmer than usual, taking on a sad blue color to match everyone's   
mood. There were circles under his eyes that were usually never there. It looked like he hadn't   
gotten much sleep either.   
  
A loud clunk signified that the casket had finally reached the bottom of the grave. The   
rest of the funeral was drowned out to Jade and Jack. They watched silently as they went through   
the motions along with everyone else. By the time it was over, both of them were cold and   
soaking from the rain. Not to mention everyone else. Silently, people began to leave. One by one   
they left, bowing their head in a simple show of sadness. Soon the only people left were Jade,   
Jack and Bill, none of them exchanging a word. The rain would talk, though. In its steady   
downpour it told them to leave, to walk away and not look back. The cold was beginning to set   
into their bones, filling every part of them, and starting on their very souls. Slick, soupy mud   
splattered onto their shoes. It was time to leave. Bill looked away first, and slowly walked off   
alone. Now it was just Jade and Jack.  
  
"Why aren't you going with your father?"  
  
Jade looked down, and replied softly, "He doesn't want to see me ever again."  
  
This was a surprise. Jack's eyebrows raised and his eyes widened from behind his glasses.   
"Why?"  
  
"He blames me for this. Because I can't find who did it. Jack, I stayed up for two whole   
days looking for something. There just isn't anything there. No forced entry, nothin'. Whoever   
did it was such a neat freak that there aren't any clues. Dad thinks I let him down and because   
I talked back to him, he never wants to see me again."  
  
"I can't believe he'd do something like that. It isn't very logical," Jack answered,   
shocked.  
  
Jade shrugged, kicking at some slippery mud near her boot. "Whatever. I don't care. If   
he's gonna act like that, I don't really wanna see him much either. I can't do this. Not after   
what's happened."  
  
For a moment, Jack pondered what she had meant by that. Still confused, he looked at her   
and asked, "What are you saying?"  
  
"You got room for a partner in that investigation thing of yours?"  
  
Now it made sense. She wanted to leave. Jack didn't blame her. "Sure. You want in?"  
  
"Yeah, I do. I'm quitting this police shit. I gotta get away from here. Jack..." Jade   
looked up, extending a hand out to him. He took it and the two shook hands firmly, still ignoring   
the increasingly heavy rain. "You got yourself a new partner."  
  
Jack nodded and the two turned to leave. Before they did, Jade bent over Jarret's grave,   
throwing down a white rose she had kept in her other hand. She watched as it fell heavily onto   
the casket, the rain quickening its fall. "Goodbye, Jarret..." she whispered.  
  
Cold and wet, Jack and Jade left the cemetary, with a new partnership and a pain that   
will never truly heal.  
  
End 


End file.
